General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOver 9,000 Murders by Gun in US; 39 in UK
** To all the gun apologists, it's our violent CULTURE, fixing it is a SOCIAL cure, take some responsibility
http://www.juancole.com/2011/01/over-9000-murders-by-gun-in-us-39-in-uk.html
Number of Murders, United States, 2009: 15,241
Number of Murders by Firearms, US, 2009: 9,146
Number of Murders, Britain, 2008*: 648
(Since Britains population is 1/5 that of US, this is equivalent to 3,240 US murders)
Number of Murders by[pdf] firearms, Britain, 2008* 39
(equivalent to 195 US murders)
*The Home office reported murder statistics in the UK for the 12 months to March 2009, but these are 12-month figures).
For more on murder by firearms in Britain, see the BBC.
The international comparisons show conclusively that fewer gun owners per capita produce not only fewer murders by firearm, but fewer murders per capita over all. In the case of Britain, firearms murders are 48 times fewer than in the US.
Do hunters really need semi-automatic Glock hand guns? Is that how they roll in deer season? The US public doesnt think so.
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)obamanut2012
(26,142 posts)NickB79
(19,274 posts)So we're moving in the right direction, at least.
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)and yes good but not good enough.
Also, this is an gun lobby talking point
NickB79
(19,274 posts)What, do you expect all gun violence to automatically stop overnight?
A 50% drop in gun-related murder in 20 years in a country of 300 million people and 300 million guns is an astonishing number. Taking into account the massive surge in gun and ammo purchases over the past decade, it's downright mind-boggling.
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)That's what I am pointing out. I think it's not the point. The point is we need change, and even that is a threat to the gun apologists, even here on DU
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Good to know...
Do you think that additional gun restrictions would increase the rate at which violent crime is decreasing in the US? If so, why (and by what mechanism)?
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)and don't waste keyboard strokes on the like
Lizzie Poppet
(10,164 posts)Never actually thought any of that through, did you?
Mimosa
(9,131 posts)I think Lizzie is quite sensible.
I've lived for more years than I care to admit. Explosive crimes such as this are distressing.
Taking away people's Constitutional right to defend themselves with a weapon will not stop these occasional maniacal outbursts.
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)fabulous
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)just reported on MSNBC
NickB79
(19,274 posts)See also: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=95379&page=1#.UAr006NNjk8
Your problem is that you aren't looking at per capita murder rates, just absolute numbers, which don't take into account the fact that the US population grows by 2 million or so every year.
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)Why are you trying so hard? The point is gun deaths and you are going to old data to make a point. It's been steady for a decade at 10,000 approx.
hack89
(39,171 posts)Here is the big picture. Steady decline since 1192.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl01.xls
NickB79
(19,274 posts)The ABC article was something I threw in to show the steady decline over the years.
And again, the absolute numbers have remained around 10,000 for years, but like I said, the US population grows by millions every year. That's why the per capita numbers are so important to understand. I'm trying to point out that, as a society, we have been making significant improvements to public safety over the past 20 years.
RegieRocker
(4,226 posts)There are countries with a lower gun crime rate than Britain and they allow guns.
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)It's our culture causing this problem
RegieRocker
(4,226 posts)100%
It's not the guns it's the people. Us.
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)It's a society that promotes a gun and violence culture.
NickB79
(19,274 posts)Seriously, I can't think of anything that promotes violence in our society more than what passes for entertainment nowadays.
Comrade_McKenzie
(2,526 posts)NickB79
(19,274 posts)What else glorifies violence more than what we see every day on TV and in the movies?
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)This is what is difficult to see and accept for some people, including progressives apparently.
Yes, we can learn to tone it down and set a more humane direction. If there is a will..
Mimosa
(9,131 posts)Kids watch more TV than ever and much of the content is more violent than ever. Video games are violent too.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)Switzerland has about one-eighth the population of the UK; in 2006 there were 34 murders using firearms in Switzerland, and 54 in the UK. That translates to a rate of 0.48 per 100K population for Switzerland and 0.09 per 100K for the UK. Which is more than six times higher. And additionally, Switzerland has a suicide rate of 18 per 100K, vs 6.9 per 100K for the UK.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,368 posts)Are we surprised that it just lied about the gun crime rate? Of course not.
For those interested, here's a site with lots of figures:
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/england-and-wales#rate_of_gun_homicide
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/switzerland#rate_of_gun_homicide
http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-states#rate_of_gun_homicide
Response to flamingdem (Original post)
cthulu2016 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)Oppressed by the lack of guns they hide from the jackbooted thugs marching daily through the streets of once-free Britain and await the golden day when they too can own various guns and kill each other in the same numbers as the Americans.
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)so I am not sure that is the answer.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,368 posts)http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-march-2012/stb-crime-stats-end-march-2012.html#tab-Offences-involving-firearms
Historic figures in Table 2, p.12, of http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN01940.pdf
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)excluding air weapons
in 98 4903
11 7024
I am assuming air weapons are air guns?
flamingdem
(39,330 posts)I am sure no European envies our violence riddled gun loving culture.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)NickB79
(19,274 posts)The best thing this country could do from a public safety standpoint would be to legalize marijuana and regulate it like we do alcohol or cigarettes.
It would also bring in massive amounts of tax revenue, and probably give US farmers a new, lucrative crop to plant.
Response to flamingdem (Original post)
2on2u This message was self-deleted by its author.